A total of 55 migrants of Maghreb origin were intercepted, located or rescued in three separate incidents involving Ibiza and Formentera during the night of Wednesday, September 23 into Thursday, September 24.

The incidents took place between 21:50 and 23:05, with one group of 17 people located in the Ses Salines area of Sant Josep and two further groups rescued at sea south of Formentera.

17 people located in Ses Salines

The first group, consisting of 17 people, was located at around 21:50 in the Ses Salines area of the municipality of Sant Josep de sa Talaia, on Ibiza.

The intervention involved the Guardia Civil, with the Service Maritime Provincial also participating in the response. Europa Press additionally reported the involvement of the Sant Josep Local Police.

18 rescued south of Formentera

At approximately 22:20, a second boat carrying 18 people was located around 23 nautical miles south of Formentera.

The 18 people were rescued from the vessel during the operation.

The group was also reported to be of Maghreb origin.

Another 20 people rescued

A third boat was intercepted or rescued at around 23:05, approximately three nautical miles south of Formentera.

There were 20 people on board, also reported to be of Maghreb origin.

The Guardia Civil's Provincial Maritime Service and personnel from the Sant Josep post took part in the operation.

183 people recorded across the Balearics in one day

The three incidents around Ibiza and Formentera followed seven other boat arrivals recorded around the Balearic Islands during Wednesday, September 23.

Those earlier incidents involved 128 people, bringing the total for the day to 183 migrants in 10 boats, according to figures from the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands.

The other incidents were recorded in locations including Formentera, Cabrera and Mallorca.

Formentera has seen repeated arrivals this month

The latest incidents add to a continuing series of migrant boat arrivals in the Pitiüses during September.

According to figures reported on September 24 based on Government Delegation data, 31 boats carrying 473 people had been recorded arriving in Ibiza and Formentera during the first 23 days of the month, before the latest overnight incidents were added.

Most of those September arrivals were recorded in Formentera.

2026 total in the Balearic Islands

Following the latest incidents, EFE reported that 333 boats carrying 6,114 people had arrived in the Balearic Islands so far in 2026.

The figure was compiled from information supplied by Spain's Ministry of the Interior and the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands.

The comparable figure for the whole of 2025 was 7,321 people arriving in 401 boats.

A distinction between arrivals and rescues

The latest overnight incidents include both people located on land and people rescued or intercepted at sea.

That distinction matters when describing the latest figures. The 17 people in Ses Salines were located in the municipality of Sant Josep, while the two groups of 18 and 20 were rescued from boats south of Formentera.

Authorities continue to coordinate the response through the Guardia Civil and other relevant services involved in maritime and land operations.

Latest situation in the Pitiüses

The three incidents bring another 55 people into the latest sequence of migrant arrivals affecting Ibiza and Formentera.

With the wider Balearic total for September continuing to increase, the authorities are maintaining monitoring and response operations around the islands.

The latest 55 people were dealt with in three separate operations during the night, with the final incident recorded shortly after 23:00 on September 23.